1,000+ interviews for the book
Maggie Haberman and Jonathan Swan conducted more than 1,000 interviews while reporting Regime Change, published just 17 months into Trump's second term.
Snapshot · The Bulwark Podcast
Maggie Haberman: A Gross and Messy White House
Explore episode
Jul 1, 2026
Where this was said
JD Vance's Allegation and the Sourcing Standoff
At 36:15 · chapter starts 36:05
Miller presses Haberman on the vice president's extraordinary public allegation that the authors must have tape recordings from inside the Situation Room to have sourced certain scenes in the book. Haberman is diplomatically immovable: she will not discuss sourcing, period. She does note that the book's sourcing note describes both the volume of interviews — more than 1,000 — and the rigorous methodology for what goes in direct quotes versus paraphrase. Miller, noting this was 'a pretty serious accusation from the vice president,' doesn't push further. The exchange itself is revealing: it confirms that the book's Situation Room reporting hit a very sensitive nerve for the administration.
Similar snapshots
8 states have filed social media lawsuits
A total of 8 states have filed lawsuits against social media platforms, including an ongoing case in Tennessee, using product liability and public nuisance theories to seek accountability.
France built 56 nuclear plants in the 1970s
France built 56 nuclear plants in the 1970s and now has the cheapest energy in Europe, making it independent of Russian or Middle Eastern energy geopolitics.
Estonia has one tax form
Estonia has a single tax form, a law preventing the government from asking citizens for the same information twice, and a flat rate of tax — enabling competitive taxation.
Lisbon legalised drugs and slashed crime
Portugal's Lisbon, once a city with a major heroin problem, legalised drugs and redirected enforcement spending into rehabilitation and housing, dramatically reducing crime.
Boland Amendment vote: 411-0
The first Boland Amendment banning CIA and Defense Department funds for the Contras passed the House unanimously — yet the Reagan administration ignored it.
Saudi Arabia donated $32M to Contras
Over just two years, Saudi Arabia alone donated $32 million to the Contra rebels, giving loosely affiliated factions millions they had no way to spend on arms.
National Endowment: 52% program rate
The National Endowment for the Preservation of Liberty raised $6.3 million for the Contras but only $3.3 million reached them — a shockingly low 52% program expense rate.
Secord & Hakim marked up arms 300%
Richard Secord and Albert Hakim marked up their arms shipments to the Contras by as much as 300%, making enormous personal profits from the covert operation.
Oliver North had zero covert experience
Lieutenant Colonel Oliver North, tapped to run the entire covert Contra support operation, had no prior experience in covert operations whatsoever — he was learning as he went.
